When the cat's away, the mice will play. And for some­what si­m­i­lar rea­sons, bi­ol­o­gists have long be­lieved that the ex­tinc­tion of di­no­saurs caused the great flour­ish­ing of mam­mals on Earth - a pro­cess that pro­duced spe­cies in­clud­ing ours. That's not quite the way things hap­pened, a study has found.   A Cape Hy­rax (Pro­ca­via ca­p­en­sis), a small Af­ri­can mam­mal that looks like a ro­dent but is ac­tu­al­ly re­lat­ed to ele­phants. Their com­mon an­ces­tor lived 83 mil­lion years ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement this afternoon urging Democratic leaders to bring to the House a clean, straightforward funding package for our troops: "This Congress has no greater responsibility than to ensure the men and women who have stepped forward to safeguard our freedoms have what they need to be secure. But that's a responsibility Democrats formally abdicated this afternoon, as they adjourned the House for spring recess ... [full story]

Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth (COPY), a program of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, is offering a class to prepare volunteers to become mentors for children with an incarcerated parent. It is estimated that, on any given day, 350 kids in Deschutes County are dealing with the disruptive effects of parental incarceration. COPY aims to break this cycle by connecting these children with a safe and appropriate mentors. After initial training and background checks, volunteers ... [full story]

Korn and Evanescence to Co-Headline This Year's Family Values Tour One of the greatest brands in summer rock festivals is back! Multi-platinum, Grammy-winning hard rock bands Korn and Evanescence will co-headline the best and most distinctive Family Values Tour line-up yet. Co-headliners Korn and Evanescence are proud to be sharing the traveling festival's main stage with Atreyu, Flyleaf, HELLYEAH (featuring members of Pantera and Mudvayne), and Trivium.   Korn and Evanescence to co-headline this year's Family ... [full story]

Do you have a youngster who can’t wait to pick up a pole and go fishing?  Then go to St. Louis Ponds near Woodburn, Oregon Saturday, April 7 and let ODFW bring the poles.   The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is stocking approximately 300 larger rainbow trout ranging from 16-18 inches in addition to over 1,500 legal size rainbow trout as part of the Youth Angling Enhancement Program. The department is also supplying ... [full story]

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Charlotte L. Winters, the last surviving female World War I veteran, has died at age 109. Winters died last week in her sleep at the Fahrney-Keedy life care community in Boonsboro, Md., the Baltimore Sun reported. Winters was the oldest woman veteran when she died, and she may have helped pave the way for women to join the U.S. Navy in 1916 when she called on U.S. Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels and ... [full story]

BEND, Oregon — A citizen advisory group of about 30 community members will meet in Bend Wednesday, April 4, and on Monday, April 30 to discuss motorized vehicle access on the Deschutes National Forest.  The public is invited to attend. The group began meeting last December to assist federal managers with the implementation of a 2005 “Travel Management Rule” for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, and the Crooked River National Grassland. Their most recent meetings occurred ... [full story]

Q: Our veterinarian has recommended that we treat our cats to prevent heartworms. Although we have had cats for many years, we have never been told that this is important nor have we ever heard of any cat having heartworms. We have always had our dogs on preventive treatments. Are heartworms a new thing in cats? Should indoor cats be treated? A: Although feline heartworm disease was first reported in 1921, most cat owners are ... [full story]

Founder and chair of the American Civil Rights Institute scouts five to nine states for new anti-affirmative action initiatives Fresh from his most recent victory -- in Michigan this past November -- Ward Connerly, the African American California-based maven of anti-affirmative action initiatives, is preparing to take his jihad on the road. According to a mid-December report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Connerly said that he was "exploring moves into nine other states."   Ward Connerly During ... [full story]

The building of new condominiums is on the rebound. Condo builders and developers are reporting improved market conditions, according to a report from the National Association of Home Builders. "The condo market is coming back toward balance following a period when the pendulum swung from red-hot to seriously cold," said David Seiders, NAHB's chief economist. "What we are looking for, and likely to find this year, is a healthy and sustainable level of condo production ... [full story]